Writer Eric Amrine based this independent review on his 10-night Panama Canal cruise departing from Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Since her first voyage in January 2003, Coral Princess has remained one of the largest ships to fit through the 110-foot-wide Panama Canal locks. Built specifically for that thrilling endeavor, the all-white vessel comfortably carries 2,300+ passengers on 16 spacious decks, with close to 1,000 crew members catering to every whim. Public areas and surprisingly private nooks and crannies are well distributed throughout the ship, and the Promenade Deck seems to stretch long and wide to the sea’s horizon. Coral Princess spends most of the year on 10-night roundtrip voyages to the canal, departing from Fort Lauderdale. During summer, she cruises Alaska’s marvel-filled Inside Passage.

Why Coral Princess?

• Panama Canal: Canal cruises attract a crowd with a single goal -- to see one of the world’s most famous manmade marvels, and this massive ship was designed just for the occasion. The ship almost finds her own way to the first lock. (And when not sailing this artificial wonder, she’s cruising through Alaska’s natural beauty.)
• Talent to spare: Seldom do onboard theater productions deservedly draw enthusiastic standing-room–only audiences night after night. Princess Theater presents a cast of dancers, singers, and stand-up comics that would impress any Hollywood agent.
• Food you can’t refuse: The stereotypical glut of food decisions to make thrives here. Well-executed and tasteful cuisine keeps two main dining rooms and alternative restaurants full, while the vast and delicious buffet turns heads.

Who should go
For active, post-retirement travelers who have the time and means to afford longer cruises, a canal cruise should be high on the list. The vibe nips at the heels of upscale and the mood is sedate nearly everywhere but on stage, or in the casino. Passengers are often well-traveled and yearning to put another feather in their straw hats.

Who shouldn’t go
Unless traveling with parents or grandparents, the college-age crowd and young families would feel a bit out of place. And knitting fads notwithstanding, there’s yet to be a trend among young professionals for bingo, bridge, or shuffleboard.

Heard on the deck: “It was a bad year in taxes for me. I owed $537,000.”

Hits and misses

• Don’t miss: The champagne welcome party features a towering pyramid of champagne flutes, with free bubbly for all. On Panama Canal cruises, be on deck for the dawn arrival at the mouth of the canal -- it brings passengers to the high decks in three-deep crowds (and look for crocodiles and hawks while you wait to enter history).
• Best part of the ship: The atrium, the ship’s hub, is ringed by dining rooms, shops, lounges, Internet services, and other public areas.
• Best experience: The non-competitive Passenger Talent Show brings out octogenarian composers, barbershop crooners, once youthful doo-wop harmonizers, and anything in between to the loud applause of a midday full house.
• Best shipboard activities: Head for the Lotus Spa, where it’s possible to while away your days at sea with aroma steam, massage treatments, facials, and pedicures.
• Needs improvement: Better servicing of both the men’s and women’s saunas would make the luxurious spa even more superb. The temperature controls are locked up and set at a constant warm -- not the traditionally more penetrating heat.
• Activities to skip: Port shopping presentations advertise “approved vendors” and relate basic how-tos regarding pricing and locating merchandise off the ship, but don’t rearrange your schedule to attend; they’re recorded and run again on in-cabin TVs.

How to meet the captain
Short of getting married onboard and having the captain preside, the easiest way to meet the man in charge is to attend the Captain’s Welcome Cocktail Party on the first full day. All returning Princess passengers (default members of the Captain’s Circle) receive exclusive benefits that may include gatherings with the captain.

Heard on the deck: “You can tell which crew members are brand new by how clean their sneakers are.”

Bordeaux and Provence (main dining rooms)
“Anytime Dining” passengers dine in Bordeaux, while “Traditional Fixed Seating” cruisers select from an identical menu at Provence, with seating at 6 or 8:15 PM. The versatile lunch and dinner menus change daily. Both rooms reflect modern, understated elegance, with swirl-shaped ceiling moldings that frame recessed chambers of tiny, randomly pulsating halogens. It’s a delightfully cheery “starry night” theme found overhead ship-wide. Despite the French names, these restaurants serve all cuisines: Caribbean, French, Italian, Asian, you name it. Service is consistently attentive and unobtrusive. Most menu items are specials, but there is a large selection of entrées, appetizers, and low-calorie options that are always available.

Horizon Court
The ship’s buffet is the workhorse of the galleys. It’s extremely popular, from early-morning breakfast through dinner and into its late-night bistro phase. At lunch and dinner, observant passengers may notice that some dishes mirror the main dining rooms’ specials. Even bresaola in balsamic from Sabatini’s and roast pheasant from Bordeaux make appearances. The chief differences between Horizon Court and other restaurants are service and presentation. Even so, this “cafeteria” presents endless entrées, salads, soups, and stews to distress the waistline. Strip loin roasts and legs of veal weep for your attention, and there’s a huge salad bar to keep everyone distracted. Two roomy display cases of sumptuous pies, cakes, tarts, and cookies make sampling all of them irresistible.

The Bistro
Horizon Court shuts down from 11:30 PM until 4 AM, at which time a small section becomes the Bistro, night owls’ only recourse for dining. Here, a menu of such standbys as steak sandwiches, chicken, seafood, and one or two desserts is amazing in its variety alone, given the few passengers awake to enjoy it.

Sabatini’s Trattoria
More than a great meal comes with a $20 per person surcharge at this gourmet Italian bastion -- it’s an experience to savor. Expect the 15-course dinner to last two hours, sometimes longer. That’s because you choose only one entrée, but taste small portions of everything else on the menu. Antipasti consists of three courses alone (roasted vegetables, olives, and eggplant), and a hearty serving of the house pasta precedes your main dish. That’s after pizza, salad, soup, and focaccia. The staff makes a complete show of delivering each course to your plate. Be forewarned: This meal is not for the low-salt dieter.

Other dining options

• Bayou Café: This New Orleans-flavored restaurant requires only a $10 per person surcharge and a fondness for the piquant herbs and spices of the regional cuisine. Jambalaya, crawfish gumbo, and slim alligator ribs share the stage with a jazz band in the evening.
• The Grill: Burgers and fries are made to order at The Grill on Deck 15, not merely slid from steam tray to bun, so it’s an appetizing alternative to a larger meal.
• Princess Pizza: Forward on Deck 14, Princess Pizza’s New York-style pies emerge hot and fresh from the ovens.
• Ice cream: There’s always a line for a sundae, banana split, cone, or dish of Häagen-Dazs ice cream on Lido Deck amidships. Both hard- and soft-serve styles come in chocolate, vanilla, and swirl, but it is not a complimentary, all-you-can-eat affair. A handy menu lists all of the prices.
• Room service: Room service is complimentary, but the menu offers only basics -- burgers, sandwiches, soups, and more of the same. Additionally, stewards deliver fresh fruit upon request. It’s also common to order trays of canapés, dips, cheeses, and chocolate-dipped strawberries for $8-16.

Best dining

• Dish: Twin broiled lobster tails, presented in the shell but carved out for you tableside, are both tender and tasty. Your waiter will likely offer to bring you more, if you have room.
• Dessert: It’s a toss-up between the house tiramisu and homemade ice creams that come in creamy tropical fruit and nut flavors. The former can be found at both Sabatini’s and the main dining rooms (and even the Horizon Court buffet on occasion). The ice cream is offered ship-wide.
• Restaurant: Bayou Café serves a variety of savory Cajun cooking and the tall cut of filet mignon available nowhere else.
• Food seminar: The demonstration by the executive chef and maître d’hotel is a must-see, mostly because it’s followed by a galley tour (check out the staff’s high-speed escalator that connects Bordeaux and Provence behind the scenes).

How to…

• Get a table for two: When you make your appearance at the dining room, ask for a table for two. There may be a wait, and unfortunately, you will likely be seated so close to another couple that it’s virtually a table for four.
• Celebrate a birthday or anniversary: Many book comprehensive honeymoon or anniversary packages in advance. Alternatively, let the maître d’ know there is cause to celebrate and a special dessert and singing waiters (who should keep their day jobs) will appear after dinner.
• Change seating: The maître d’ wants you to be happy and will accommodate your preferences whenever possible. The earlier you make a request, the easier it will be for him to comply.
• Dress for formal night: Two nights require black tie attire for men, although dark suits seemed just as popular as tuxedos (which can be rented onboard). For women, a nice dress will suffice, but short or long cocktail dresses are the norm.
• Dress for casual night: Every other night “smart casual” dress is the norm. In this context, it really means no shorts, T-shirts, or jeans. Many men arrive with spiffy jackets and slacks, with women in blouse-and-skirt ensembles.

Tips:

• If you’re a couple using the Personal Choice option, it’s easy to sit at your own table or join a larger group. State your preference each night. Waits seldom exceed 15 minutes.
• If you find you’ve stayed on deck in the sun too long and slept through dinner, no worries. Horizon Court offers some of the same entrées and side orders as the main restaurants, including Sabatini’s.
• Ask for a table in one of the far corners if you want quiet and privacy. Sitting near a waiter’s bus station means heavy foot traffic and lots of clatter.
• Even in the "Anytime Dining" Bordeaux Restaurant, the bulk of diners arrives at 6 PM sharp. Plan on a 5:30 or 7 PM dinner to avoid the crowds.
• Consider bringing your own favorite wine from home. They’ll serve it to you wherever, and whenever, you dine for a $10 corkage fee.
• On the day of arrival at the Panama Canal, and for a charge of $25 per cabin, the optional in-room champagne breakfast consists of pastries, fresh wild berries, Alaskan king crab quiche, and a half bottle of champagne. One caveat: It’s available only for those with balcony cabins.

Heard on the deck: “You’ve got to pace yourself, honey, and stop having three entrées each night of the week.”

Heard on the deck (from a passenger rubbing his considerable belly while examining the menu): “I eat what I like and I haven’t had a bad meal yet. As you can see, I’m a meat and potatoes man.”

Nearly 90 percent of Coral Princess’s 987 cabins have ocean views, and 735 come with balconies. But not all balconies are created equal. The ship deck plan will indicate which balconies have separators on each side, while others afford unimpeded views toward the bow or stern. On most decks, balconies are open to the sky (which also means that passengers staying in cabins above may be able to look down at you).

Cabin décor is functional and reasonably attractive, but nothing remarkable. The only shelving consists of a tall and narrow unit built into the wall. Each standard cabin features a desk and chair, coffee table, TV, refrigerator, personal safe, and two twins that combine to form a comfortable queen-size bed. The bathroom counter is a dreary piece of molded plastic, the shower just large enough for a slim adult; and the hand towels are thin as crepes. Robes are available on request, and nightly turn-down service includes a chocolate on the pillow.

Cabins for guests with disabilities
Twenty wheelchair-accessible cabins -- 16 with ocean views -- are reserved for disabled passengers. In those with balconies, there is no door jam barrier from room to balcony. Those confined to wheelchairs will have no difficulty maneuvering from their cabins to any public area. Elevators travel to the 15th deck, making only the Sports Deck inaccessible.

Tips:

• Balconies add a minimum of 50 square feet to the footprint of a basic cabin. Plus, it’s a great place to watch the sun set and moon rise.
• Pillows too hard? Need another blanket? Don’t hesitate to call your cabin steward for any comfort item.
• Purchase folk art or native crafts during shore visits and leave them in view to add personality and brilliant color schemes to the unadventurous in-cabin décor.
• Arrive at check-in as early as you can to inquire about upgrades. For amounts in the hundreds you can improve your category considerably.

On long cruises that include a day or two at sea without calls in port, it’s good to find activities and spaces that provide a welcome diversion. Tables fill up quickly in the Card Room for pickup games of bridge, and someone’s always savoring a fat cigar in the Churchill Cigar and Spirits Lounge (with humidor). The library keeps generous hours, and the dozen terminals at the 24-hour Internet Café are seldom filled. Art auctions draw huge crowds -- possibly the free champagne has a little to do with their popularity. The ship’s art specialist and auctioneer impresses with his ability to inform and entertain, while keeping his sales pitch steady. If you smell cigarette smoke you are within crap-shooting distance of the London-themed casino, always open as long as the ship is 30 minutes out from port.

Bars, lounges, and casino
To whet your whistle, choose from large pubs, small theaters, or the sprinkling of cocktail bars throughout the interior and upper decks of the ship. One of the smallest but best-attended bars is Crooners Martini Lounge. Here, a lounge singer belts out every recognizable pop hit recorded during the last 40 years, and does a fair job impersonating each singer/songwriter. The sprawling Wheelhouse is all dark woods, and framed ship memorabilia covers the walls. The futuristic Universe Lounge, which regularly doubles as the ship’s movie theater, has a large balcony and overzealous air conditioner, so bring a sweater. Explorers Lounge attracts the party crowd for karaoke, game shows, and classic live rock. Liberace-like piano stylings by “Richard” flutter through the grand hall at cocktail hour, while classical guitar or an attractive string quartet creates the perfect ambience with waltzes and minuets for passengers filing into restaurants nearby.

Swimming pools
The indoor pool’s diminutive size is compensated by the current generator built in to one end. Press a button and make like salmon heading upstream. Adjacent to the Lotus Spa in a mildly air-conditioned enclosure on the deck -- it’s just as popular as the outdoor Lido Pool. The warmish water seems cool only after a session in the sauna or a day spent ashore. A smaller pool on Deck 14 aft is open to families. Deck chairs are comfortable and non-reservable, and lie in both shade and sun-drenched aisles. Large beach towels come from cabins only, replaced by the cabin steward at passengers’ requests.

Shows
Two Princess Theater presentations each night cover everything from mediocre magicians and stand-up comics to extremely high-caliber song-and-dance shows. Nary a high note missed nor a tune not practiced to perfection, the versatile Coral Princess Singers and Dancers easily master Broadway, Cabaret, 1950s rock ‘n’ roll, and a fond look back at the music of the ’60s and ’70s. Capable sound, light, and stage techs use the latest technology to keep the pace electric and the productions seamless. Dance fans should not miss Dance!, a brief look at the songs and dances of the world.

Shore excursions
It requires a thick and attractive glossy publication to adequately describe the sheer number and variety of shore excursions sold on Princess Cruises. Study them early in order to make your mind up before excursions fill up. If you have your heart set on anything, don’t wait -- book online. Always check the tour desk for any sudden changes, such as newly scheduled guided tours or the possibility of waiting lists for sold-out trips. Anyone can cancel reservations within one or two days of departure.

Weddings and vow renewals
The original Love Boat belonged to Princess Cruises, and there are always a few weddings and honeymooners onboard. The chapel is tiny, but having the Captain officiate makes it a huge occasion. Starting at $430 per couple, packages include bouquets, cake, reception food and entertainment, a spa visit and bridge tour, and a bottle of Dom Perignon. Vow renewals are no less amenity-filled, although the Captain does not make a personal appearance.

Looking for…

• Quietest spot: Inside the aft-side door to the Wheelhouse Lounge you’ll find a deserted alcove with a table and comfortable chairs, surrounded by 19th-century artifacts and framed art of ships at sea.
• Liveliest spot: Once the ship hits non-territorial waters, throngs file into the casino for blackjack, craps, or the robber baron slot machines that don’t discriminate -- nickels, quarters, dollars… they’re all welcome here.
• Most popular spot: Deck 14’s string of indoor and outdoor pools, sundecks, and quick pizza and burgers is book-ended by the buffet and gym, attracting passengers of all ages.
• Best view: Climb up to Deck 15 and look for sections of handrail that don’t have the tall, shaded glass windbreaks attached. Sometimes you need to feel the wind and soothing sun to appreciate them.
• Best show: Nostalgia rules the night when Tribute rocks the boat in the Universe Lounge. It’s the only show featuring live musicians accompanying the Princess Players, who faithfully cover Beatles and Beach Boys melodies.
• Best drink: Shaken, not stirred is the obvious recipe for the James Bond Martini, served in a large glass with a zig-zag stem you can really get your fist around. The mixologist at Crooners has the golden touch.

Tips:

• If smoke gets in your eyes, stay out of the main lounges, where cigarette smoking is always allowed. Head to the outside bar on Deck 15 for cleaner air.
• Try catching the early show, then grab a quick dinner and have the evening free for strolling, quiet reading, or singing along at Crooners.
• Guests on guided tours get off the ship first. The ship’s crowd controllers are professional herders, so listen to announcements and leave it to the experts.
• All ship bars offer a festive daily drink special, sometimes two-for-one, often festooned with fruity liqueurs and trendy names.
• The Internet café charges 35¢ per minute for e-mail or Internet access, which adds up if you like to surf. Wireless connections for laptops are available at the same rate in 30-minute blocks.

Heard on the deck (from two women looking at the sea):
First woman: “Until you go cruising, you just don’t have any idea how much water there is in the world.”
Friend’s response: “You’re absolutely right. And you know, that’s just the top of it.”

Heard on the deck (from two Texans):
First Texan (upon seeing the locks open on the Panama Canal): “We ain’t got nothin’ like that in Texas.”
Second Texan: “Nope, but we got the plumbers to fix it.”

Spa and salon
Lotus Day Spa’s exotic name and inviting tag line, “You deserve it,” earns exceptionally high marks for its vaguely Asian architectural motif and huge variety of programs. Passengers flock to the salon for hair makeovers, manicures, and pedicures. Listen carefully to hear more variations of the word “exfoliate” than you knew existed. Detoxifying body wraps, hot-stone massages, and aroma-therapy steam rooms attempt to revitalize bodies suffering from the effects of overeating. Couples find the best savings in unlimited access to the steam room suite (currently $99) -- choose from three steam rooms of varying temperatures, a light sauna, and tiled beds heated throughout for blissful escape (cucumber slices provided). There’s also a newlywed package for less than $200 that includes a private room and lots of warm mud. You provide the cooperative spouse and wicked imagination.

Fitness areas
The gym, packed in early morning with the thinnest and fittest passengers you’ll ever see, has ample ellipticals, standard programmable treadmills and exercise bikes, and a variety of free weights. A row of higher quality spinning bikes is found in the yoga room, but they’re reserved for passengers taking spinning classes. Pilates and spinning start at $10 a session, but Lotus Fusion stretching is on the house.

Tips:

• Don’t be disheartened if the spa treatment you wanted is sold out. Not only can you waitlist, but during the last half of the cruise the spa posts special discounts almost daily, some at nearly half price.
• Look hard for the men’s and women’s sauna and changing rooms just inside the Lotus Spa. Cruise literature barely mentions them, and they are complimentary. Call ahead to make sure the saunas are functioning properly.
• The usually deserted basketball court on Deck 16 aft is suitably sheltered from wind. However, the netting overhead hangs low, blocking ambitious outside shots that require high arcs.
• You can pay for virtual golf and practice driving, or opt for the free nine-hole putting green.

Heard on the deck (from a woman to her male partner): “It’s not like I live at the salon. Who do you think I am, Zsa Zsa Gabor?”

Selling never sleeps aboard Coral Princess. Cocktail staff constantly hawk drinks and bottled water on deck or in the buffet, and waiters try to sell the hardbound Princess Cookbook while you’re still eating dinner. Boutiques in the ship’s atrium often spill into the hallways selling inexpensive souvenirs and gift items; fine diamonds and gemstones by Ravello of Beverly Hills; cosmetics and perfumes by Clinique, Dior, Bulgari, and Davidoff; and various thicknesses of gold and silver chains sold by the inch. Guests save substantially by shopping duty free and tax free on the ship, or off. The ship’s port and shopping advisor presents shopping seminars in advance of each port call to acquaint passengers with all the how-tos and don’t-dos of buying in foreign lands, including where to find preferred vendors.

Tips:

• If you buy duty-free alcohol at a ship boutique, it will be delivered to your cabin the last day of the cruise.
• Compare duty-free prices in port to those on the ship. Sometimes, the ship’s prices are unbeatable.
• Some ports require you to walk through a strip of duty-free stores before re-boarding the ship. Exercise good judgment to prevent impulse purchases at the last minute.
• “Sidewalk sale” days in the atrium hallways bring out the lowest prices on Swarovski crystal, Lladro sculptures, amber jewelry, and other “gifty” merchandise.
• Look for an ATM for the best exchange rates on-shore.

Heard on the deck (yawning): “I’m simply exhausted from all that relaxing.”

Whether school’s in session or not, children will always be around, but not necessarily in the way. That’s because the kids’ areas are way aft on Deck 12, organized appropriately by age group. The teen center has video games, jukeboxes, ping-pong, and karaoke; while younger children participate in scavenger hunts, craft making, and galley tours. The family pool is conveniently located just outside the kids’ area, but kids swim only with their parents, not with childcare providers.

Tips:

• In summer months, expect upwards of 200 children onboard. For winter Panama Canal itineraries, that drops to fewer than 20 kids on average (plan your voyage accordingly).
• Children can attend dinner-time group babysitting, which costs $5 per child, per hour.

Heard on the deck: “For a family of four, there’s just nothing so awesome, so easy, and so much fun, with so many different things to do.”

Coral Princess cruises into the Panama Canal fall through spring. She cruises the length of the canal only twice each year, during repositioning to and from Alaska’s Inside Passage. During the summer, cruisers board in Vancouver or Whittier for 7- to 12-night Inside Passage voyages.

Heard on the deck: “Wherever you travel, you’ll always find Texans.”

• Cruise line - Princess
• Ship name - Coral Princess
• Type of cruise - Elegant Resort
• Total cabins - 987
• Private balcony cabins - 727
• Decks - 11
• Passenger capacity - 1970
• Total crew - 900
• Ship size - Large
• Officers nationality - British/Italian
• Ship length - 965
• Year entered service - 2002
• Registry - Bermuda
• Tonnage - 88000